Staff Attorney - Consumer Law

Position Description

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY) has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney within our Consumer Unit. This position is program wide and will collaborate with all of the LawNY offices. This position can be housed in either of our offices located in Rochester, or Bath, based on the selected candidate's preference.  

This attorney will focus on a wide variety of consumer protection issues, including predatory debt collection, credit reporting disputes, bankruptcy, and deceptive consumer practices. The ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of the intersection of consumer issues with racial justice, and a willingness to incorporate racial justice principles into both the day-to-day legal work of the unit as well as overarching unit priorities and strategies.The applicant must also have the caring, patience, and emotional maturity to help low-income people navigate crisis situations. This position will report to the Supervising Attorney of the Consumer Unit. 

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY®) is a not-for-profit law firm providing free legal services to eligible clients in civil cases through seven field offices covering a fourteen county area in Western New York. Our Consumer Law Unit was created in 2017 to increase LawNY’s capacity to represent clients with consumer law problems across our 14-county service area. Our consumer unit currently focuses on consumer credit debt defense, auto fraud, student loans, medical/nursing home debt, affirmative consumer litigation, bankruptcy, and more. The consumer unit is currently composed of a team of six staff members, including one supervising attorney, two staff attorneys, two staff paralegals, one AmeriCorps legal assistant, and a rotating group of law student volunteers and interns, along with this Staff Attorney position. 

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

The beginning salary for a Staff Attorney at LawNY with no experience is $70,000 and the salary for a Staff Attorney with thirty years of experience is $106,100.  Salary will be based on experience. LawNY is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program(PSLF).

LawNY® provides an excellent package of fringe benefits including:

•  94% Employer paid Medical Premium with 100% Employer paid in-network deductible 
• 100% Employer paid Dental Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Life Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Enhanced Short-term Disability
• 100% Employer paid Long-term Disability
• Vision Insurance
• 20 Paid Vacation days per year
• 12 Sick days per year
• 5 Personal days per year
• 13.5 Holidays plus 2 floating Holidays per year
• 35-Hour Work Week
• Hybrid Work Schedule (new staff are able to work from home up to 3 days per week. After 6 months, this increases to 5 days per week with Manager approval, as workload permits)

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY®) is an equal opportunity employer. LawNY® strongly encourages applications from Black, Indigenous and People of Color, women, LGBTQIA individuals, people with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups whose background may contribute to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. LawNY® welcomes applications regardless of race, color, religion, veteran status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other consideration protected by law. 

Qualifications These are the basic qualifications for the position.

• Admitted to practice and in good standing in New York State. (Candidates who are not currently admitted but are eligible for admission without examination or willing to take the next available Bar examination are also encouraged to apply, and will be placed on our Law Graduate line until admitted).
• Demonstrated commitment of service to low-income people.

Responsibilities These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.

• Staff LawNY®’s regional Consumer Hotline, providing information and resources to callers with consumer problems; 
• Conduct initial client screenings and triage incoming consumer cases, including obtaining documentation and determining eligibility for services; 
• Maintain a caseload of consumer law cases including advice, negotiation, litigation and administrative advocacy in accordance with LawNY program priorities and case handling policies;
• Assist staff on presentations and outreach to the community; 
• Actively engage organizations led by impacted communities, community organizations, agencies and bar associations in developing and setting advocacy and litigation priorities and strategies to address systemic consumer problems that adversely impact the low-income communities we serve.
• Collaborate with other human services providers, non-profit organizations and community groups as well as the courts, administrative tribunals and the private bar to spot common legal issues and patterns and discuss strategies for targeting systemic issues.
• Identify emerging trends in consumer law practice at the State and Federal level, by participating in relevant workgroups and conferences;
• Maintain thorough and timely case and file management and ensure compliance under the program rules specified by the Legal Services Corporation, other funders, and LawNY’s internal policies.
• Maintain a high level of professional competence through attendance at training sessions, seminars and conferences and individual efforts to keep abreast of current developments in the area of poverty law, the application of a race equity lens to client service, as well as issues in the community affecting low-income people.
• Collaborate with colleagues, managers, and directors to develop, implement, and maintain a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment.
• Provide input as needed to administrator(s) on fundraising and grant reporting.

Additional Traits and Skills These are the traits, attributes, attitudes, and skills that speak to the candidate’s ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of the qualities listed, the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities. LawNY encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as professional skills and experience, in relation to this list of traits and skills.

• Previous experience involving one or more areas of poverty, and especially consumer law.
• Litigation experience, including experience with motion practice, discovery, and conducting trials, preferably in the area of consumer law and economic justice.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and undertake initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to command the trust and respect of staff members, community groups and the legal community.
• Experience related to serving individuals from marginalized groups.
• An understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities
• Incorporates an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens into legal practice.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including a commitment to providing trauma-informed services.
• Humility in working with colleagues and clients across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities and/or limited English proficiency.
• Ability to work under deadlines and manage multiple tasks.
• True fluency in Spanish or another language other than English that is spoken by our clients is a plus.

Application Instructions 

To apply, submit your cover letter and resume through LawNY®’s BambooHR platform, here. To promote social justice and achieve our mission, LawNY® is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and creating an inclusive and respectful workplace. In your cover letter, please explain how you think your lived and/or professional experience or background has prepared you to contribute to support a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion in LawNY’s work.

Questions or Accommodations? Contact Michelle Grillone at mgrillone@lawny.org

Salary : $70,000 - $106,100